I remember when I was a child reading how actor Sean Penn had attacked a photographer at his wedding. It was big news in the day and it was news that seemed to repeat itself every time a photographer got a little too close for Penn’s comfort. Just last October, he attacked a photographer and broke his camera.  Now there is a report that American Idol contestant Adam “Glambert” Lambert got enraged when a photographer was, so to speak, doing his job — and he attacked the photographer.

Eras claims Lambert grabbed his back pack and wrestled him to the ground. The photographer did not suffer any injuries. He declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday.

The reporting of news has advanced significantly in the last 25 years thanks to major advances in communication technology. I cannot fathom what would compel a person who knows that they are going to get photographed by numerous people to do something that will look less than favorable when they are photographed doing it. Knowing fully well that within minutes of the images being captured, they can be all over the world and have people commenting on the misbehavior.

Here are some images from the incident. On the plus side, there was an accusation that was leveled against Lambert that could not be substantiated thanks to the instant image capture — that he wrestled the photographer to the ground.

The photographer claims that Lambert wrestled him to the ground; unfortunately one of his fellow paparazzi captured the whole thing, and as you can see, that’s simply not true. As these photos from Splash News Online reveal, Lambert mostly just gave him some sort of grabby, bear-hug reacharound before his friend pulled him away. Nevertheless, Lambert has been accused of battery and the state’s attorney is currently considering whether charges will be filed against him.

We have to wonder how a celebrity can live in this day and, knowing the full history of celebrities that have beat up photographers (Naomi Campbell, anyone?) continue to assault them. If you are so concerned with keeping your privacy, move to South Dakota and participate in the creation of art when you so wish — but let the photographers do their job.

2 Comments

  1. If you want to be a performer — you need to accept all the dangers and thrills that come with that celebrity — and that can include getting followed and harassed by photogs. It’s part of your job as a famous person to put up with it.

    If you don’t want the attention, then don’t become a performer. Or, you can always move to Colorado and live in anonymity with Daryl Hannah in her tent.

    1. David,

      That’s right. What’s upsetting is when people just keep on repeating the same patterns without learning from the history that’s right in our face.

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